If you’re a Samsung Galaxy Fascinate 4G user on Telus, today is your lucky day! The Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update for the Fascinate 4G is now officially available. Unfortunately, this wont be an “over the air” update pushed to your device so you’re going to have to do some fumbling around with Samsung Kies to download and apply the update. Full instructions can be found on TelusMobility.

Another day and another slew of Google Nexus Prime rumors. This time we have Twitter user @black_man_x AKA “The Panda King” who has been long known for accurately predicting some big launches in Verizon’s past whether it be the HTC Thunderbolt or specs on the HTC Vigor (Incredible HD). He’s recently come alive once again on his Twitter bring a slew of Nexus Prime riddled poems. In these poems he has announced the device’s supposed launch date (November 3rd) and the different flavors the device will launch in. After gaining enough followers, he then handed off the poem riddles to @tfleming223 (Tom Flemming) and according to this guy’s latest tweets, the Nexus Prime might not only come in GSM and CDMA varieties but also touchscreen only and keyboard versions as well. These guys either have some pretty deep sources inside the Verizon camp or they are just jerkin’ everyone around. Either way, I love me some good Android based poetry (I’m classy like that).

While things that go bump in the night, surely give you a fright,
It’s all in good fun as I share treats and panda fun.

So Instead of filling your belly with candies, jellies and other hollows eve fare,
Perhaps your palate will cast a ballot, for an ice cream sandwich instead.

With an internal date now set and LTE a sure bet,
Those that get Tim Cook’s new pet will be filled with green eyed regret.

But wait you cry for what date can you buy?
This the panda did shall share

Fore on the date Bruce Wayne’s true father did die;
you shall in fact be able to buy in stores of red and black.

But those who pay other masters don’t fret,
over exclusive deals and bets

For in many other favors you will get your treat
be they GSM or wimax radios inside, the nexus brand will ride world wide

But as he lays in the corner with a Beer and a boner the Panda said with a sigh
Be it a Droid or Nexus branded new toy,

With dual cores "hd" screens, fancy new widgets and more
The one with the keyboard is what I enjoy

Apparently, the “Prime” moniker we’ve been hearing for quite sometime was never in the cards. The most recent rumors are pointing to the official Samsung release of the device as being named the Galaxy Nexus while the Verizon version could find itself dubbed the Droid Prime or possibly even the Droid Charge 2. Seems the closer we get to this device’s release, the more clear and somehow murky things are becoming. Either way I don’t expect we’ll have to wait much longer with the device most likely being announced by Google late October, followed by the launch somewhere near early November.

Samsung has announced that it will launch legal action against Apple the very instant the iPhone 5 steps foot in Korea, according to Korea Times. Specifically, the manufacturer will move to block sales of Apple's phone.

Quoting an unnamed source identified only as an anonymous Samsung senior executive, Korea Times notes that Samsung will "...take Apple to court here for its violation of Samsung's wireless technology related patents." Additionally, the Samsung source reiterated his/her company's dedication to its battle with Apple, saying, "For as long as Apple does not drop mobile telecommunications functions, it would be impossible for it to sell its i-branded products without using our patents. We will stick to a strong stance against Apple during the lingering legal fights."

This is the latest volley in the legal back-and-forth between these two tech giants. As of this writing, it looks like the battle has only begun.

Apple expanded its online reach by opening stores in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates. Apple celebrated the event with a brightly colored confetti banner on each country's website that announced the grand opening. Customers in these above countries will be able to shop online directly with Apple, buy extended Apple Care plans, and receive online sales support just like we do here in the US. With these four new storefronts, Apple now has online stores in 37 countries.

In many of these countries, it'll be interesting to see if Apple's online storefront has an impact on local retailers. In the UAE, many Apple products are sold by third-party retailers like Sharaf DG and Carrefour UAE and their prices tend to be more expensive than Apple. With the global economy struggling, we wonder how well these retailers will compete against Apple's strong online presence.

Skillz for iPad is a rhythm game for existing and wannabe digital DJs. It has two turntables and lets you mix, cross-fade and scratch your way to DJ stardom. The gameplay is similar to Tap Tap Revenge and requires you to control both left and right album decks, the sampler and cross fader.

When you are ready to play, you can select your DJ avatar and adjust your audio settings in the options. You can also download extra DJs and tracks, though the choice is still limited. There are several gameplay modes including Custom Play and Career Mode.There's also a nice tutorial that steps you through all the moves. After you have selected your mode, you can chose the venue, the song you want to sample and the difficulty level.

Once the game starts, you have to respond appropriately to notes, rhythms, scratches and crossfades coming down the sampler track. It's a complex series of motions that takes two hands to complete. Achievements are rewarded as fans, and the better that you do, the more fans you will earn. Your fan level is important as it'll let you unlock new levels, characters, and achievements as you play. The crowd also responds to your performance and will cheer wildly when they like what they hear.

Skillz for iPad includes 25 tracks that span a variety of hip-hop and dance genres so you have a good starting selection. The game also supports OpenFeint so you can share your achievements and post them on OpenFeint's leaderboard.

Skillz is an enjoyable and challenging game for anyone who enjoys this genre of music. The gameplay is fast-paced, even on the easy level. The two-handed play definitely keeps you hopping. The music is decent and the graphics are bright and lively. The only complaint is that the effects are subtle. When you scratch, it's sometimes difficult to hear the scratch sound that you're making because of the background music. The same applies to the notes and cross-fading. This takes away a bit from the gameplay, but you can tweak the audio settings to find that your preferred balance between music and effects.

It appears that at least one coffee shop has decided to forgo the big bang reveal of today’s launch of Google Wallet by placing their official “tap here” signs on their Vivo paypass-capable machines. All you’ve got to do is Tap and pay with your NFC-enabled credit card OR your smartphone using Google Wallet – adding that you should simply go to Google.com/wallet for more information if you’re not already in the know. We know from earlier today that the launch is very likely for later today and of course that the NFC-based mobile money service will be popping up imminently one way or another.

We’ve been following Google Wallet since its big launch all the way back in May, noting that since the launch, there’s been no lack of alternate solutions made possible by groups like ISIS and carriers such as Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T. Check out the announcement of a collaboration between all four of those titans and lemme know if you think it’s a good alternative to the Wallet.

Given that the Nexus S, the device that’s most often associated with NFC on Android and the first one to get Google Wallet working with it is often free, we’ve got to wonder how anyone will compete. Meanwhile Asia continues to lead the way with said payments, having had them for some time now and working to increase the landscape by the day. Don’t you wish your payments were simply like thee?

Vuzix’s Wrap 1200VR video eyewear has gone up for sale, offering a virtual 75-inch display with up to 720p HD resolution support along with head-tracking sensors. Announced back in August, the Wrap 1200VR supports side-by-side 3D video playback and virtual reality applications, thanks to a digital compass and nine other sensors, while inputs include DVI/VGA and USB 2.0

Each eyepiece can be individually adjusted to suit the wearer’s eyesight, and with various adapters you can hook up your Xbox 360 or PS3. PC games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Fallout 3, F.E.A.R and others should work out of the box, however. If you’re more interested in coding new content, Vuzix offers a free Vuzix Software Developer Kit (SDK).

The Vuzix Wrap 1200VR is priced at $599.99 and is available now. If you don’t need all the functionality, Vuzix also offers the regular Wrap 1200 for $499.99, with more multimedia-centric abilities rather than the virtual reality support.

What’s tipped to be the iPhone 5′s Apple A5 processor has been caught in the wild, the latest in a series of what’s said to be component leaks for the upcoming smartphone. The picture, posted to Chinese site Weibo, shows a board section that differs in design from the only public implementation of the A5, the iPad 2.

Opinions differ, however, as to the component’s authenticity, particularly because of the somewhat smudgy nature of the A5 processor labeling itself. The board is believed to be from an iPhone prototype, and uses a different battery to what’s inside the current iPhone 4; the existing smartphone has a 1,420 mAh pack, but what can be seen of the battery next to the A5 chipset suggests it has 10mAh more.

It’s unclear whether what looks to be a white iPhone fascia to the left of the board is attached, and if so whether this could in fact be the iPhone 4S. The 4S is tipped to have the same design as the iPhone 4, but upgrade the processor and come in at a cheaper price-point, and some recent rumors have suggested Apple may be forced to announce it ahead of the true iPhone 5 because of production issues. More details on that in our full iPhone 5 rumor roundup.

Amazon’s AppStore for Android has quietly gone live outside of the US, it appears, with users in the UK, the Netherlands and elsewhere all reporting that they now have access to the download store. Although there’s no sign of an announcement from Amazon itself – and indeed the retailer’s site still says it’s US-only – it’s now possible to sign-in with a non-US account and download apps.

Users in Australia and India have also reported that the AppStore now works for them, though we’ve also heard from other users that they’re still having problems. Looks like we may have caught Amazon at the very start of the process of opening up the download service.

It’s unclear whether those outside of the US will have access to the “Free App A Day” which has helped Amazon get installed on so many Android devices so far. The broadening of access to the download store in general may well be a precursor to launching the Amazon Kindle Tablet, which is expected to happen later this year, though it’s unclear what support for third-party apps the heavily-modified Android-based ereader-slate may have.

You can download the Amazon AppStore for Android from this link. Let us know how you get on, and where you’re based, in the comments!

Samsung US has officially priced up its smaller Android tablet, slapping price tags on the WiFi-only versions of the Galaxy Tab 8.9. The 16GB version will be $469, Samsung has confirmed, while the 32GB version will be $569. Both will use the same 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor and have dual-cameras, a 3-megapixel unit on the back and a 2-megapixel version upfront.

Unsurprisingly, Samsung’s official figures tally with those Best Buy confirmed for the Galaxy Tab 8.9 last week. The retailer put both versions of the tablet up for pre-order, suggesting that availability would be later this month. That’s more than Samsung is saying, with only the promise that the smaller slate is “coming soon.”

What’s still unknown is when the 4G LTE version of the Galaxy Tab 8.9 will go on sale. We benchmarked a prototype earlier this month but Samsung is yet to confirm a launch date nor, indeed, which countries the slate will be offered in. The US does seem a likely candidate, however, with both AT&T and Verizon having LTE networks.